Why We Love Others

In John 3:16, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  This is the ultimate demonstration of love, that God loved us enough to give his life for us even when we had no interest in him, as John 4:9-10 tells us.  “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  He loved us so much that he gave his life to pay off the penalty for our sin, knowing we might never return that love. 

If we have received God’s spirit into our heart, and understand that he loves us we ought to love other people, as I John 4:11-tells us.  “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.   No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.“  Man was created in the image of God, according to Genesis 1:27.  “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”  As a result of sin, that Image was seriously damaged, but when people becomes Christians, that godly image is restored. according to Colossians 3:10, Christians “…have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”  While we have never seen God himself, every Christian should remind us of him.  As a result, we ought to love them. 

Romans 10:9-10 tells us.  “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.   For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  I John 4:14-17 Makes it very clear that Jesus is in fact the Son of God who came to save the world.  “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.  Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”  Because we have believed, we have received God’s spirit to produce the same kind of love in us.  That love is perfected or demonstrated by our love for others, giving us assurance that we have been made like God again and need have no fear when the judgement comes. 

When we are living in fear of losing our salvation or not making it to heaven, our love for God is not fully developed, as I John 4:18-21tells us.  “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.  We love him, because he first loved us.  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?  And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” 

If we are afraid of losing our salvation, we do not understand how much God loves us.   Our love for him is based on how much he loved us even before we cared about him and is shown by our attitude toward those around us.  If we don’t love others who have an attitude somewhat like God, how can we really love God?  If we really love God we will love others simply because he told us to. 

I John 5:1-2 summarizes what John has said.  “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.“  Everyone who has accepted Jesus as the son of God who came to pay for man’s sins is saved, and if they have truly been born into God’s family, they will love his other children as well.  All of the commandment relate to how we treat others, and our attitude about obeying him shows whether we love him or not.